The Consequences of Falling
by marialisa
Summary: How far will you go to protect the one you love? CURRENTLY ON HIATUS BUT I WILL FINISH IT...I PROMISE!
1. Prologue

Viv perched on the edge of the conference table as she stared at the photograph of their latest missing person.

The clock on the wall showed 11:45pm and the office was silent except for the low hum of computer equipment. As she sat and stared numbly at the picture she could feel exhaustion seeping through every fibre in her body.

A distant sound of footsteps, becoming louder as they drew nearer, woke her from her reverie and she glanced over her shoulder to see Elena approaching, a file clutched in her hand. She came and perched on the table next to Viv.

'Time to close this one down'

Viv nodded slowly, her mind replaying again and again the frantic activity of the last two days. She stood up and pulled the photograph from the board staring at it before handing it to Elena who placed it carefully in the file.

Viv picked up a cloth to erase the case name and number from the board. Her hand hovered for a moment as she stared again at the details written there in dark blue pen, then she bought the cloth down onto the white surface with greater force than was required and jerked her arm hard to the right erasing the details

_Samantha Spade 7A-NY 5783451_


	2. The Alley

**A/N**:

This was supposed to go at the start of chapter one but I forgot (!). I started writing this fic during season 4 but I kept putting off posting it because it's a little different than the other fic's I've posted. You'll notice that the chapters in this fic are (a lot) shorter than my usual length of chapter; It wasn't intentional it's just how the story has evolved. Thanks for taking the time to read it; like everyone who posts stories I really appreciate it when I get reviews!

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**Two weeks earlier in the alley behind Kerrigan's Bar**

'You sure about this?'

Her answer was to pull him toward her and meld her lips to his.

He pressed her up against the alley wall as he tangled a hand in her hair increasing the pressure of the kiss, demanding more from her. She parted her lips allowing his tongue access and felt him take it without hesitation. She began to pull out his shirt from his trousers swept up in the moment and the passion that had taken them both by surprise.

She felt his hand slide under her T Shirt and begin to caress her bare flesh, rising slowly until she could feel his thumb brush across her breast through her lace bra. She moaned into his mouth and she felt his response as he deepened the kiss and slid a second hand under her T shirt. His shirt was un tucked and she let her hands roam over his back, digging her nails into his shoulder and feeling the shudder that went through him.

'Hey buddy, you don't want to be banging a hot babe like that here, you should get a room'; the sound of men laughing interrupted them and they jerked apart

She turned away from the voices, trying to adjust her clothing as she felt him turn toward the voices, his body shielding her from their sight

'Man's gotta do'; he sounded cocky, unrepentant at them being caught making out in an alley behind a Bar

'Yeah, well, the owner doesn't like people back here, so why don't you go and find somewhere a bit more comfortable to entertain the lady'; it was a different voice from the first she had heard.

Her clothes were straightened now and she could see he was tucking in his shirt. He shrugged his shoulders, 'sure, don't want to upset anyone; you know any decent motels around here?' she could picture the expression on his face as he said the words

'You could try the one on the corner, tell the desk clerk that Gino sent you'

She trailed behind him, keeping her head down so that her hair hid her face as he swaggered toward the men at the entrance to the alley. As they reached them she could sense them staring at her, trying to see what she looked like

'She didn't look so shy a minute ago' the men roared with laughter again and she heard his laughter in response

'Her boyfriend gets a bit jealous if you know what I mean'; more laughter and then they were on the street walking away from the alley.

'Keep going, don't stop' he spoke quietly, his arm slung around her shoulders

They turned the corner into the next street and their pace picked up slightly as they could see the car

'Did they follow us?' she spoke quietly, her head turned toward his, her arm around his waist

'Don't know. I'll check it out, follow my lead'; she felt herself pulled around and pressed back against the car as he kissed her again. She kept her eyes closed, savouring the kiss, knowing that it couldn't happen again.

He broke the kiss and for a moment they stared into each others eyes, shocked at what had just happened. He attempted a smile, 'no one followed us'

She laughed shakily and straightened up, allowing him to open the car door for her to slide inside before he walked round and got into the drivers seat

In the car the atmosphere changed, neither of them knowing what to say.

She turned to look at him but he was staring out of the front windscreen, lost in thought. She cleared her throat and his head jerked around to look at her

'We didn't have a choice, if we had just come walking down that alley they would have known we had been into the office and that could have blown the whole thing'

He didn't answer; he just stared at her, then nodded and started the car

'That said, it might be best if we don't mention this back at the office' she knew her voice sounded slightly nervous and she glanced at him to see a reaction

He started to laugh; 'yeah, definitely don't want to mention this at the office'


	3. Case Conference

The journey back to the office passed in silence. He looked as distracted as she felt and although she desperately cast around for something she could say to break the silence, nothing came to mind. They arrived on the 12th floor to find the rest of the team already assembled, ready for the case conference to start. She slid quickly into an empty seat making sure that she didn't catch anyone's eye and in particular, didn't catch _his_ eye. She opened her note book ready for the meeting to start but instead of seeing the words written on the page she found herself remembering the feel of his hands on her body and the feel of his mouth on hers. The memories were so vivid she was sure she would start to blush and she was hugely relieved when the meeting started.

They were looking for a missing school girl, Jessica Davis. She had disappeared 24 hours previously, reported missing by her mother when she hadn't returned home from school. Initial investigations showed that the 'sweet, shy catholic school girl' her parents spoke of didn't actually exist. So far they had found evidence of drug taking, alcohol and several boyfriends that her parents knew nothing about, plus a recent sighting with a Manhattan bar owner, Jez Kerrigan, who was suspected of running a prostitution ring specialising in underage girls.

The meeting progressed as they looked at Jessica's phone records and ATM withdrawals. They pointed to the fact that she had travelled to Manhattan from Queens to meet someone the previous day, since which time the trail had gone cold. Of all the leads they had been following, the most promising had been the information that the back room of the bar owned by Jez Kerrigan was used by him to run his prostitution ring.

'Elena, how did you and Martin get on at Kerrigan's place'; Viv was standing at the white board capturing all of the information as it was discussed. She looked at Elena expectantly as a cell phone rang

Elena held her hand up apologetically as she answered the call. She listened to the message then closed the phone and stood up; 'I have to go, Martin will explain'; she left quickly leaving the rest of the team sat staring after her in amazement

All eyes turned to Martin

'Elena's daughter is ill; I'm guessing that was the school telling her that she's worse and to come and get her'

'OK, well what did you and Elena find out at Kerrigans place' Viv still had her pen poised over the white board

'Well, Elena thought she was going to have to go to the school so we thought it best to stay here in case they called'

'OK, well I can understand that, so who did go to investigate the bar then?' Viv sounded slightly impatient

'Sam and I did'

Sam didn't look at him as he answered Viv, just as she was sure he wasn't looking at her. She made a pretence of bending over to consult her notes so that she could let her hair fall over her face to hide any redness in her cheeks. Only when she was sure she wasn't blushing did she look up

Viv was looking expectantly as them, 'so what did you find out?'

Sam saw he was looking at her, his eyebrows raised, silently asking if she wanted to tell them or should he; she waved her hand at him and he grinned. She was mortified to feel the beginnings of another blush.

'Well we checked out the back room, it's definitely used by Kerrigan for something dodgy judging by what we found in there, and that was just the stuff in plain sight. We'll need to put some surveillance in place because it looks like something big is due to go down tonight.'

'OK, anything else?'

'Yeah, apparently if you mention Gino's name you get a great deal on a room at the local motel'

Sam jerked her head up; he was looking straight at her, his brown eyes laughing at the growing horror in hers.

Jack looked puzzled, 'how do you mean?'

Danny grinned mockingly at her as he explained, 'When we were leaving we, er, over heard him tell a couple that they should tell the desk clerk that Gino sent them. I'm guessing that they send a lot of people there and maybe that's where his underage girls go'

She met his eyes and knew he could see the relief in hers after the shock he had just handed her. The mocking expression on his face changed briefly to one of sympathy and she could almost hear what he was thinking;

'_I said I wouldn't say anything………..'_

She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the case again as Jack and Viv began to outline how they would go about organising the surveillance on Kerrigan; tried but failed, as the memories of how it had felt to kiss him, how it had felt when his hands had roamed over her body, refused to be pushed to the back of her mind. She knew she wanted to feel it all over again even though she also knew that it could never happen again. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to pay attention to Viv, to _not_ look at him, to not think about how Danny, her _friend_, had left her feeling more alive, more aroused, than she had felt in longer than she cared to remember.


	4. Confusion

**Confusion**

**Later that Night - Outside Kerrigan's Bar**

_**Flashback to that afternoon**_

'_OK Martin, Sam and I will head over there now' Danny put his phone back in his jacket pocket and looked at Sam_

'_Apparently something is wrong with Sophie, and Elena wants to stay in the office in case the school call so I said we would check the bar out for them' he looked to see if Sam minded and could tell from her face that she didn't, 'its only a few blocks from here'_

_They arrived at the bar and headed inside. This early in the day it was quiet; with just a sprinkling of customers. They spoke to the two bartenders but neither seemed to have any idea about when Kerrigan would next be in. Danny felt Sam nudge him and point to a door. A sign above it indicated that the restrooms were located through it and for a moment Danny wasn't sure why she was interested…….._

'_Maybe the office is through there'; she nudged him gently to indicate that they should investigate further._

_On the other side of the door they found a long corridor, off which where the restrooms, a door to the alley running behind the building and the door to Kerrigan's the office._

_They both listened; there didn't appear to be anyone about. Danny turned the handle and the door opened. He stared at her for a moment, wanting to see of she was going to object to what was an illegal search but she pushed him gently and followed him in. _

_Five minutes was enough to tell them that they needed to find grounds for a search warrant. Making sure that nothing was out of place they slid quietly out of the office into the corridor. Voices approaching from the bar startled them; Danny felt Sam grab his arm and pull him toward the door into the alley._

'_That was close' Danny knew they couldn't get caught snooping, it would be all that was needed to get any evidence they found suppressed at a future trial. His voice died away as he saw the men stood at the end of the alley and recognised them as Kerrigan's heavies. They were all looking at the street but he knew that if they just walked out the men would know where they had come from and start to wonder what they were doing there………..._

'_Kiss me'_

_He felt as if the ground had just fallen away from him; 'whaaa...?'_

'_They'll think we snuck down here to make out' she looked determined but he still hesitated_

'_Kiss me Danny'; her voice was a hiss as she glared at him_

_He slid an arm about her and turned her so her back was to the wall then hesitated_

'_You sure about this?'_

_**End of flashback**_

Danny replayed the events in the alley over and over again in his head.

She had been right, it was the only way they could explain their presence in the alley but he thought that he had maybe got a little carried away, certainly running his hands over her breasts had probably been more than she had anticipated but……………..he thought back; she hadn't complained in fact, if it had been any other woman he would have sworn she had been loving it, that it had turned her on.

He stared out of the window at the front of the club checking to make sure Kerrigan hadn't arrived as he continued to mull over the events of that afternoon. The more he thought about it the more he was convinced it hadn't just been him getting carried away, she had as well. He rotated his shoulders slightly; he could still feel where she had dug her nails in.

Which of course begged another question; why _had_ they both got so carried away? Danny wasn't at all sure he wanted to think too deeply about that; about why a woman he thought of as a sister should have turned him on so much that he had completely forgotten about _why_ they were making out. And she had turned him on, more than any woman had in a while now.

He shifted in his seat as he felt his body's response to the memory; _this is Sam for chrissakes; the woman you've known over 6 years now. Yes, she's beautiful, smart and funny but she's your friend. She's Martin's ex-girlfriend; hell, she's Jack's ex as well. She's well and truly off limits……._

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he saw a car pull up and Jez Kerrigan get out. Feeling more than a little relieved he picked up his radio

'Jack, he's here, are we going in?'

He heard a slight crackle before Jacks voice sounded; 'Yes, you and Martin take the front, Viv Sam and I will take the back'

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**Two hours later – Jack's Office**

Danny sat slumped in the chair as he waited for Jack in his office. He was angry; angry with Kerrigan for what he had done to Jessica Davis; angry with himself for how he had reacted and angry with Sam for acting so normally, acting as if nothing had happened between them.

He heard the door close and looked up to see Jack stood over him, scowling

'What the hell was that all about?'

Danny forced himself to sit up straight. Jack's question was a fair one, I mean what the hell had he been thinking when he slammed Kerrigan up against the wall and driven his fist into his stomach. The man was a sleezeball, no question, but he hadn't been posing any danger to Danny………..

The look in Jack's eye suggested that he had better be very careful how he answered this question

'He, erm, seemed to be reaching for something that I assumed was a weapon and so I had to stop him?'

Danny knew the inflexion in his voice had turned what should have been a statement into a question and saw by the sardonic look in Jack's eyes that he knew full well what had caused his hesitancy

'Did Martin think he was reaching for a weapon?' there was a challenge in Jacks eyes that, again, warned Danny to be careful with his answer

'He agreed that it had looked as if Kerrigan was reaching for a weapon'; Danny spoke slowly, watching to see Jack's reaction.

'Yeah, well, make sure that's what he puts in his report' Jack still sounded pissed off but Danny suspected it was more to do with his concern that any complaint bought with it a raft of paperwork and OPR sniffing around, rather than any moral objections.

He stood up and headed for the door

'Danny'

He turned back to face Jack, surprised to see the beginnings of a smile appearing on his face; 'next time, make sure you put your full weight behind the punch'

He left Jack's office feeling better. Down the hall he could see Viv with Jessica and Jessica's parents. He wondered how they were going to feel when they found out everything that Jessica had been up to in the last 24 hours. Not much surprised him these days but seeing the photos that Kerrigan had taken, in fact had already published, of Jessica, made him feel sick to his stomach.

He headed for his desk trying to decide whether to stay and finish his report or whether to head home and come in early the following day. Martin and Sam were both sat at the conference table with paperwork spread around them. As he arrived, still undecided about what to do, Martin stood up and gathered his papers together;

'I can't do this now, there's somewhere I need to be.' He placed the paperwork in a file as he looked at the picture and timeline on the whiteboard; he continued reflectively; 'who'd have thought that she would have got herself into…………'

His voice trailed off and he shook his head; 'anyway, see you guys in the morning'

Danny felt the atmosphere change as soon as Martin was out of the door. Sam was still bent over her paperwork but the tension was palpable. He cleared his throat, trying to think of a way he could bring up what had happened earlier in the day, and saw her head jerk up, apprehension clearly visible in her eyes. Even as he struggled to find the words he needed Danny felt a glimmer of satisfaction; she couldn't be as unaffected by what had happened as she had made out earlier if his clearing his throat was bothering her.

'I've had enough for today; I'll see you both in the morning'

Viv's arrival took them both by surprise. Danny managed a smile and heard Sam wishing her a good night. From the door they heard Jack's voice

'I'm off too; you don't have to do the paperwork now. Leave it till tomorrow.'

Danny watched Viv and Jack head for the elevator and then slowly turned back to Sam. She hadn't gone back to her paperwork; instead, she was looking at him, expectantly

He took a deep breath; 'look I, er, I just wanted to make sure you are OK with what happened……….earlier, er, between us I mean' he cursed inwardly, knowing he sounded like an embarrassed teenager

She stared at him; an unreadable expression in her eyes as she stood and gathered her papers together, pushing them carelessly into a file; 'I'm fine about what happened earlier. We were just doing our jobs'

He was stung by her casual tone, which suggested she found it amusing that he would think what happened between them could have affected her.

'Right, well, see you tomorrow then'; he noted with satisfaction the shock that showed briefly in her eyes as she registered the abruptness of his tone.

He grabbed his things from his desk and started to leave, suddenly needing to put as much space between them as possible.

'Danny'

He stopped. He took a deep breath before turning to see what she had to say.

'Let's go and get something to eat, I think we need to talk……….


	5. Dinner

**Dinner**

Danny prodded his lasagne with his fork finding that his appetite had deserted him. He rearranged the food on his plate again to give himself something to do, to avoid the awkward silence that had developed again between them

'Not hungry?'

He looked up; the expression on Sam's face told him she was feeling as awkward as he was. He smiled

'Not really, you?'

She shook her head and pushed her plate away

'Do you…..?'

'Why don't….?'

They both started to speak at the same time and both came to an abrupt halt; Sam started to laugh

'Oh god, this is stupid……we've been friends for years. We can get past this can't we?'

Danny felt himself relax slightly and managed a smile; 'Yeah, of course we can……..I just wanted to apologise…….you know, if I went a bit further than you expected……………' his voice trailed off.

She blushed. He decided that the delicate colour staining her cheeks suited her, and idly noticed that the blush extended down her neck toward her breasts…………he jerked his eyes back to her face, thankful when he saw that she had dropped her eyes to the table in her embarrassment.

She spoke hesitantly, keeping her eyes on the table; 'No, it's fine………..I mean we had to make it convincing and,……….and I guess you weren't the only one to go a bit far' she shrugged awkwardly and Danny had a sudden memory of her nails digging into his back

He rotated his shoulder, a look of mock pain on his face; 'I'll say………those are sharp nails you have Agent Spade'

At the teasing note in his voice, Sam's face started to relax and she looked up, laughing; 'hmmm, sorry but you can blame yourself for that' at his raised eyebrows she giggled and continued, 'well you were doing such a good job I didn't want to let you down'

The waiter arrived to clear their plates away and they ordered coffee and the bill. Danny sat back in his seat feeling happier

'So, we're OK then?'

'Definitely' she smiled at him, 'but I don't think we should mention it to anyone'

Danny started to laugh; 'yeah, I can just imagine the reaction during the case conference can't you………you know…….'well Viv, we didn't want to them to realise we had been snooping around the office so we thought that ripping each other's clothes off in the alley would be the best way of covering it'………..I sort of think that neither of us would ever live that one down'

He grinned at her, noticing the faint blush again, but she didn't drop her eyes this time, instead she grimaced

'Yeah, and that really would be the finishing touch to my reputation wouldn't it?'

Danny leant forward and caught her hands in his, concerned at the distress that flared briefly in her eyes

'Come on Sam, you've not done anything to be ashamed of…..'

She shook her head, her lips pressed together tightly; 'I've slept with two men in the same team……that's enough to convict me in most peoples eyes'

'Well not mine…….' he saw her eyes fly to meet his and he squeezed her hands again; 'you haven't done _anything_ you need to apologise for….' before she could speak again he carried on, 'anyway, they'll never know so it's not worth stressing over is it?'

She smiled wryly as Danny suddenly realised he was still holding her hands. Obviously, Sam realised too because the expression on her face changed and she glanced down at where her hands where clasped in his and then quickly back at him, a question in her eyes. He let them go, aware of a faint feeling of…..what? Regret? He picked up his coffee cup quickly to cover his confusion and with a huge effort, pasted an easy smile on his face.

'This is good coffee'; he hoped she was fooled.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The temperature outside had dropped and Danny could see Sam was shivering as they stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a cab. If it had been last night they had been stood here, or if the events of earlier hadn't happened, he would have put his arms around her to keep her warm without even thinking about it. But it wasn't last night, and the events of earlier had happened, and he realised he didn't know what to do…………..

'You know, normally I'd give you a hug to warm you up but now I'm worried that you'll think………' he stopped, surprised to hear himself verbalise his thoughts

Sam gave him a scathing look that told him she thought he was crazy, and pressed up against him. His arms opened automatically to hug her close, even as his brain scrambled to process what was happening

'Don't be stupid, we just agreed it wont change anything and if you think I'm freezing my ass off because you're worried about how it will look, think again'; she joked, even as her teeth chattered.

Danny grinned and tightened his arms around her, telling himself firmly that this was fine, that everything was to how it had been before he had felt her hands clawing at his back, before she had kissed him every bit as passionately as he had kissed her……………

He froze as he realised that his body was not listening to his head. He tried to pull his hips back but it was too late; he felt Sam tense in his arms and groaned softly as he stepped back, desperately searching for something to say………

'Sorry………….ah………….I guess some bits of me have you confused with this hot blonde I met earlier today……….'

She was staring at him, an unreadable expression in her eyes. The silence between them stretched until Danny felt as if he had to do something, say _something………._

'I really am sorry Sam, I……………'

'Shut up Danny'

He stopped, stunned by the rawness of her tone. She closed the gap between them, speaking softly now, so he had to lean toward her to hear

'Shut up'

He could feel the tension between them and the tight knot of anticipation forming in his stomach. She reached out, her hand sliding around his neck and into his hair. At her touch he felt the tension inside him explode into desire and he reached for her, pulling her to him, his mouth fastening onto hers as she pressed her body to him and opened her mouth, allowing their tongues to tangle in a heated, frantic, dance.

They stood like that, lost in each other, oblivious to everything, for what seemed like hours until the need to breathe became so pressing that they had to break apart. Her face was flushed, her breathing as laboured as his own; he pressed his forehead to hers as he cupped her face in his hands

'So, what happens now?' he hoped to god she wasn't going to suggest they should pretend that nothing had happened

She smiled at him and pressed her lips to his again before murmuring softly; 'now we get a cab back to my place.'


	6. Passion

**A/N**

Really am very sorry it's taken so long for me to post this chapter; I have never had so much trouble getting 1000 plus words down on paper (or computer screen) before, but it's an important chapter and I wanted to make sure it was right!!

Huge thanks to **Ninz** as always for her encouragement (a.k.a. an ass kicking!); she does a great job of keeping me true to the characters in the show. Also, a huge 'thank you' to **SallyJetson**, the Queen of Smuff (even if her style was a little cramped with the need to keep this 'T' rated!)

I hope you enjoy it and I promise I won't take as long to post chapter 7!

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**Passion**

Sam could feel the tension crackling between them. They were sitting close together and she could feel the heat emanating from him even though no parts of their bodies were touching. Neither had said a word since getting into the cab and the excitement was building within her making her body ache for his touch. She deliberately let one hand fall onto the seat, allowing it to brush his thigh as it fell. His response was immediate; he captured her hand in his and raised it to his lips, brushing a soft kiss across her finger tips which sent bolts of electricity through her body.

She turned her head; he was watching her but the shadows in the cab hid the expression in his eyes. He turned her hand and his thumb started to circle the sensitive flesh on her palm, lightly, teasingly, all the time holding her eyes with his. The knot in her stomach tightened and a soft moan escaped her as the tension built to an almost unbearable level. Just as she thought she couldn't stand it any more he lent toward her, his hand sliding slowly through her hair, until it reached the back of her neck. She felt him pull her toward him until their mouths met in a soft, teasing kiss. There was none of the raw need of the alley or the urgency that had swept over them outside the restaurant; instead it hinted temptingly at what was to come.

The need for more contact became overwhelming and she pressed herself closer, whimpering slightly as she felt his teeth gently nip at her bottom lip. Again he responded and turned his body so that it covered hers, pressing her against the back of the seat as he began to explore her contours with his hands, sending waves of heat pulsing through her body. She slid one hand between them and lightly brushed the bulge in his pants with her fingers, as she parted her lips, allowing his tongue to invade her mouth. He tensed at her touch, his hands and tongue stilling for a moment as a grunt sounded low in his throat, then he resumed his attentions, his hands sliding under her t shirt for the second time that day.

Sam was only vaguely aware of how they eventually arrived inside her apartment but she was _very _aware of the mouth that was trailing kisses down her neck toward her collar bone, of the hands encircling her from behind and of the door to her apartment closing. She tipped her head back so that it rested on his shoulder, allowing him access to the sensitive skin at the base of her throat and moaned as he immediately took the opportunity to assault it ruthlessly with his mouth, leaving her legs feeling so weak she could barely remain upright.

He turned her to face him and switched his attention to her lips; lips already swollen from the intensity of their kissing in the cab. He kissed her again, his tongue probing her mouth in a way that left her whimpering with longing. He broke the kiss, but before she could protest he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

In the bedroom the tempo changed as Sam tore at his clothes, wanting the last barrier between them to be gone. His shirt and jacket disappeared quickly and even in the frantic desire to undo his pants and remove them as well, she found herself noticing the well defined muscles at play on his torso. With his pants gone and only his boxers remaining he took charge again, turning her so he was behind her, one arm anchoring her to his naked chest while he slipped the other down and undid the button of her pants. She felt his fingers brush across her lower stomach and she shivered in anticipation.

He let go of her and she felt momentarily bereft until she felt his mouth next to her ear

'Take _your _clothes off'

His voice sounded rough, sending another wave of heat flooding through her body as she turned to face him. He was watching her intently, and the combination of his command plus those hooded eyes left her feeling breathless and reckless at the same time. She held his gaze as she stripped the t shirt over her head, quickly finished undoing her pants, and let them drop to the floor so she was stood in front of him, clad only in her bra and panties.

The heat in his eyes seemed to intensify and he reached for her but she stopped him. Placing a hand on his chest she pushed him firmly back so that he was forced to sit down suddenly on the bed. She straddled him as she reached behind herself and undid her bra, letting it drop to the floor.

_'Eres tan bonita'_

His voice was hoarse as he pulled her to him for another long kiss then twisted them suddenly so that she landed on her back on the bed. He supported his weight with his forearms as his eyes slowly travelled the length of her body before returning to capture her stare with his. The pressure inside her grew as he slid one hand deliberately down her body, hooking her panties with his long fingers and then sweeping them away. She grabbed his boxers, forcing them over his hips and hearing him moan as her hand brushed his groin. As the final pieces of clothing disappeared the passion exploded between them. She lost all sense of time as his hands and mouth left trails of fire across her body, until she was begging for release. When it came, the intensity of it left her shaking in his arms.

Sleep came soon after, as he held her against his chest, stroking her hair and softly murmuring words to her in Spanish that she didn't understand, but which made her feel safe, special………..cared for.


	7. Tension

**Authors Note: **Thank you to **Ninz** for her constant encouragement and refusal to listen to my pathetic excuses for not getting this update written! Thank you to **Ukeleleboy** for the help with the Spanish and also thanks to **SallyJetson** who beta'd for me (and also helped with the Spanish!)

Thanks to everyone who is reading this fic and to those of you who have posted a review - they help keep me motivated to finish even when real life intervenes!

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**Tension**

**Twelve days later – Monday morning 9:00am – FBI Office**

'Danny'

A familiar voice calling his name across the underground parking lot broke into Danny's thoughts; he swung around to see Viv approaching, a smile on her face.

'You looked as if you were away in your own world.'

She gave him a speculative look as she gently teased him. She had started giving him those 'I know there is something going on' looks at the start of the previous week but hadn't come right out and asked him ……….yet.

'Hey Viv, how're you doing – did you and Marcus have a good weekend?'

Her mouth twitched slightly as he sidestepped her unasked question but she let it go without comment as she replied;

'Yeah, we had dinner with some friends on Saturday night and slept in on Sunday; that alone made it a good weekend. What did you get up to?

There it was again; that 'look'.

The elevator car arrived and they got in. Preferring not to be interrogated about his weekend activities, Danny was relieved when several other FBI employees got in as well, giving him the perfect excuse to give a suitably vague answer.

'Not much really'

The raising of her eyebrows and the curling of her mouth showed him that she knew she was being fobbed off.

The car arrived at the 12th floor and they got out. Before Viv could try asking him about the weekend again Martin appeared in front of them. Danny's relief at this timely appearance disappeared as soon as Martin opened his mouth.

'Have either of you seen Sam?'

He looked and sounded worried.

Viv spoke slowly

'I thought she was in court this morning?'

'Yeah, apparently she was due to meet the ADA at 8:00am but she hasn't shown. We've called her cell, but it's turned off and she's not at her apartment because we got the super to check, but what's really freaking us out is that we got a call from the NYPD telling us that her badge was found 20 minutes ago on the street outside her apartment'

The icy chill running down his spine was the same one he got when he had to fly anywhere. Danny desperately tried to come up with some good reason why Sam would be an hour late to court, have her cell turned off and would have lost her badge, as Viv spoke again

'Have there been any reports of an accident or a struggle?'

'Nothing so far, Elena's just running another check …….'

Martin's voice trailed off as Elena joined them, before asking

'Anything?'

'Nothing at all. No reports of an accident or a struggle………and so far no-one in her neighbourhood can remember seeing her but obviously a lot of them are at work and we haven't been able to speak to them.'

She looked as worried as Martin and now Danny was aware of the chill spreading from his spine, to the rest of his body….….

'Danny, my office, NOW'

They all turned to see Jack standing at the entrance to his office looking and sounding very pissed off.

Three pairs of eyes watched him as he walked toward Jack's office. He knew they were wondering what this was about; he on the other hand had a fair idea what was coming. As he entered the office and heard the door shut behind him with some degree of force he reflected that it looked as if the decision had been taken out of their hands.

_**Flashback – Previous night**_

'_I think we should tell them. It will be so much easier if we haven't got to keep it a secret. I know it isn't even two weeks yet but you agreed with me – this does feel different……..feels right, so there's no reason not to tell them is there?'_

'_Nooooo……… it's just…….Martin and Jack……what are they going to think?'_

'_They're in the past………it might make things a bit awkward to start with but only for a little while and it's going to come out sooner or later isn't it? Anyway, the longer we leave it the more likely they are to be upset, don't you think?'_

'_You really want to tell them don't you?'_

_Sam slid her arms around his neck and kissed him before replying_

'_I really do want to tell them Danny.'_

_He stared at her, still trying to get his head around her desire to tell them all about this relationship between them. She was right of course; there was no reason to keep it a secret. Ever since their first night together they hadn't spent a night apart and he knew that this relationship was different from all the others he'd had, and she was adamant that she felt the same way; still……._

_He shook his head, a smile on his face_

'_I can't believe I'm hearing this.'_

_She flushed slightly, her expression defiant_

'_I know I didn't want anyone to know when Martin and I were dating but this is different Danny, this is……' she looked frustrated and he started to laugh._

'…_different, I know, but Sam, we've been together less than two weeks…… I'm happy to shout about 'us' from the rooftops, I just think we should wait a little longer before we tell anyone….' _

'…_because you're uncomfortable about them knowing that you've fallen for the office…..slut.'_

_She tried to pull away but he tightened his arms around her to stop her and held her angry eyes with his calm ones_

'_You know that's not true. I'm not uncomfortable about them knowing about us, but once they do it puts us under a lot of pressure…….…everything we say to each other, every look we exchange gets noticed and analysed. It's all still new, and I like the fact that only we know about us at the moment. I just want to wait a bit longer before we invite them into our life.' _

_The anger died in her eyes and she smiled again_

'_OK………..so how long do you want to wait?'_

_He loosened his grip around her waist now he was sure she wasn't about to flounce off and slid one hand through her hair whilst the other caressed her hip_

'_Let's give it another two weeks and then see how we feel about it…..but when we tell them, we do it together, OK?'_

_She moved her body so it was pressed against his and her hands slid under his T shirt as she eyed him speculatively_

'_Hmmm, OK, deal….'_

_He grinned and brushed a soft tantalising kiss across her lips. _

'_Te quiero'_

_His softly murmured words bought a low moan from her throat and he felt her dig her nails into his back as she pressed her lips to his. The kiss deepened as he backed her slowly toward the bedroom………. _

_**End of Flashback**._

Jack walked around the desk and picked up a piece of paper. He glanced at it, his mouth noticeably tightening at what was written on it, before he threw it across the desk to Danny.

'Can you explain this?'

Danny met Jacks angry stare, refusing to look away until Jack did, then he picked up the piece of paper and glanced at it briefly before meeting Jack's eyes again.

'It's a record of the calls made from Sam's cell phone.'

Jack's mouth tightened again;

'She called you at 6:30 am this morning and according to this record you're the last person she spoke to. What did you talk about?'

Danny held Jack's eyes with his, refusing to back down even as he realised that Jack must have seen more than just one day's phone records to be this angry.

'Nothing in particular, just the usual stuff we talk about in the mornings after I leave hers and head back to mine to get changed.'

The shock in Jack's eyes might have been funny at any other time but all Danny cared about was finding out where Sam was.

'You and Sam…you're……_it's serious_?'

'Yes'

They continued to glare at each other. Even though his worry about what had happened to Sam was increasing by the second, Danny found a tiny bit of him wondering why Jack was reacting so badly to the news of their relationship.

'When the hell were you going to tell me about this?'

Danny stared at him, hardly able to believe his ears

'What the fuck has that got to do with anything?'

He made no attempt to keep the anger and beginnings of panic from his voice.

For a moment Jack hesitated, looking as if he wanted to take issue with him, then he took a deep breath and shook his head slightly;

'OK, when did you see her last?'

His voice was tight as he fought to keep it under control.

'I left at about 6:15am. She called me at 6:30am and we spoke for a couple of minutes. She said she was about to get into the shower and then she was going straight to the courthouse to meet the ADA and go over her testimony. She said she'd text me as soon as she was finished in court. We were going to meet up for lunch if we didn't have a case on.'

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger

'Is there anything you can think of that has upset her; has she been getting any strange phone calls…..anything?'

'No………she's happy…….._we're_ happy. There's nothing that I know of that would explain her going missing.'

Before Jack could respond, a knock at the door heralded Viv's arrival. She looked curiously between Jack and Danny, clearly picking up on the tension between them.

'We've found Sam's car in the Bronx – it was set alight about 30 minutes ago on some waste ground not far from where you live Danny. Martin and Elena have headed over there to see if we can get any witnesses.'

'Near where you live?'

Danny swung to face Jack, shocked at the suspicion he could hear in his voice.

'I told you. I left her at 6:15am. She was getting showered and then heading to the courthouse. She wasn't planning on taking her car because she knew I'd have mine here and I'd be taking her home tonight.'

He could feel Viv staring at him but he didn't look at her; instead he continued to scowl at Jack, refusing to break eye contact, determined that Jack would back down first.

'Come on Jack, you honestly don't think that _Danny_ has anything to do with this?'

Viv sounded shocked.

With an obvious show of reluctance, Jack broke eye contact with Danny and turned to look at Viv.

'You know in any disappearance that more often than not it is down to the husband or _boyfriend_.'

Viv stared at Jack for a second before her eyes swung to look at Danny, seeking confirmation from him that she hadn't misunderstood what Jack had just said. He nodded slightly and she swung back to look at Jack,

'Jack, you know as well as I do that this has nothing to do with Danny. Sam's missing and instead of trying to find her you're letting a bruised ego get the better of you. Now can we get on with finding her, _please_?'

Jack hadn't taken his eyes away from Danny throughout this exchange and the heat of his stare made Danny swing his eyes away from Viv back to meet Jack's furious glare. The anger was tangible as both men locked eyes again, neither willing to back down.

Viv stepped between them, clearly furious

'This is about SAM and you both need to rein it in and remember what's important here.'

Her words pierced the fury that had engulfed Danny at Jack's suggestion that he could be in some way responsible for Sam's disappearance and he pulled his eyes away from Jack and looked at Viv. She gave Jack one final glare before heading toward the office door, as she started to outline an action plan

'We need to speak to her neighbours – see if they saw anything this morning……'

'Not you'

Viv stopped, as abruptly as Danny, at Jack's words. Danny turned back to face him

'What do you mean, 'not me''

The rage that had temporarily abated was building inside of him again and he took a step toward Jack, his fist clenched.

'You're emotionally involved…..you're not on this case…..'

'And you're _not_ emotionally involved?'

Danny clenched his teeth in an attempt to keep his voice down……in an attempt not to hit Jack. He felt Viv's hand on his arm as she stepped in front of him.

'Jack, we're all emotionally involved in this one…..NONE of us should be working this case but until Van Doren puts another team onto it I intend to do everything I can to find out what's happened to Sam; how about you?'

The tension in the room was palpable. As his cell phone started to ring, Danny groped in his pocket, fished it out and glanced at the caller ID showing on the screen……

_Sam – cell_


	8. The Search Begins

**The Search Begins**

**Jack's Office**

As Danny hit the button to answer the call he was aware of Viv grabbing the phone on Jack's desk.

'Sam, SAM, where…………'

He stopped suddenly.

'What? Is it Sam?...Danny………..?

Danny waved his hand to silence Jack as Viv replaced Jack's phone after a hurried conversation with someone.

They all stood in silence as Danny listened intently to the conversation he could hear at the other end of the phone

'………._come on man……..this is a cool phone. We can turn this for some serious cash and get ourselves a little something to party with.'_

It was a young male voice speaking. It sounded as if he was close to the phone but not holding it to his mouth.

'_Denny'll give us some good quality coke for it, let's head over to him,'_

This from a second young sounding male voice. From the background sounds they were obviously in a car.

Danny covered the mouthpiece of his phone and spoke quietly,

'Some kids have Sam's phone, they must have hit the speed dial or something………'

Danny paused as he heard the first voice again

'_Hey, it's on.'_

'Fuck'

Danny cursed as the phone went dead. Viv grabbed Jack's phone again and punched in a number, listened intently for a moment then replaced the handset as she smiled

'They got a location signal on Sam's phone; it's not far from where her car was found and it appears that they are heading north. Mac has arranged for a NYPD patrol to pull them over. He'll let us know as soon as they have them.'

Jack took charge again

'Right, I'll head over to speak to them…..Viv, take Danny and head over to Sam's apartment and see if you can find someone who saw her leave……………………what?'

Danny scowled at him

'Five minutes ago I was off the case'

Their eyes locked with neither of them willing to back down.

Viv stepped between them, her eyes flashing dangerously as she pushed Danny firmly toward the door,

'Come on, we'll take your car.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Viv didn't say anything until they were on their way to the Bronx,

'How long have you and Sam been seeing each other?'

Her question provided a welcome break from the complicated mix of thoughts and emotions running through Danny's mind,

'The Jessica Davis case'

From the corner of his eye he could see that Viv had turned sideways in her seat and was watching his face carefully

'Quite recent then………..is it serious?'

'Are you asking as a friend or are you asking as an investigator?'

He made no attempt to keep the anger from his voice.

'Both'

He navigated an intersection and narrowly avoided a cyclist seemingly intent on committing suicide. It gave him a few moments to think, his mind replaying again the conversation of the previous night.

He sighed, 'Sam wanted to tell you all.'

'So it's serious for her then; what about you?'

Danny chanced a sideways look at Viv.

'Yes, it's serious and no I didn't do anything to her this morning.'

She nodded, seemingly unaffected by his hostility,

'Does Martin know?'

'No………we were planning to wait a bit longer before we told anyone………'

He swallowed hard and stared fixedly out of the front of the car.

They arrived at Sam's apartment to find a NYPD cordon in place. Danny fished a key from his pocket.

'I guess you'll want to check the apartment by yourself won't you? You know, so I can't use this as an opportunity to try to cover my tracks'

Again she ignored his hostility and took the key without comment as she beckoned a cop over

'Officer……?'

'Officer Gordon ma'am'

'Right….Officer Gordon, this is Special Agent Taylor. He needs your help in interviewing some of Special Agent Spade's neighbours to see if they saw anything this morning.'

With a nod and an understanding smile at Danny, she turned and headed into the building.

He sighed, feeling like a complete bastard for taking his anger and fear out on her, and turned to Officer Gordon,

'Come on then, let's speak to the neighbours.'

Forty minutes of knocking on doors got them nowhere; most of Sam's neighbours were at work and those that were about didn't recall seeing anything of any use to the investigation. The fear, which he had managed to suppress whilst he was busy, was rising within him again. He forced himself to breath steadily as he waited for Viv to join him. As she arrived at his side he managed a half hearted smile

'Anything?'

She shook her head, the frustration she was feeling evident in her expression, but before she could speak her cell phone rang

'Johnson'

She listened intently for a moment before thanking the caller.

'That was Jack. They have the kids that have Sam's phone. Seems they found her keys and phone outside the shop where her badge was found, took them and her car but left the badge. They don't know anything about Sam and didn't know her photo when they saw it'

Danny frowned as he asked,

'So why burn out her car?'

Viv shrugged,

'They're young kids – I think it was half the fun. Jack said they told him they had kept the phone to sell to get some drugs – he thinks that they haven't done this sort of thing before, that they were showing off, trying to get in with a gang.'

Danny had already lost interest in the kids that had taken Sam's car, knowing full well that if there was anything to know Jack would have gotten it out of them. He focused on what Viv had said about where they had found the keys and phone.

'If they found the keys and phone here then whatever happened to Sam, happened around here…………' He looked to where the cordon was set up outside a minimart, '……..didn't the shop owner see anything?'

Viv shook her head,

'We don't know yet. The owner was in the shop at the time that we think Sam went missing but he went to a supplier at 8:00am and he isn't back yet…….'

Her voice trailed off as an irate man approached the cordon, gesturing fiercely toward the shop in question. She and Danny glanced at each other.

Without waiting to see what Viv was doing, Danny headed over to speak to the man, who was still arguing with the cops

'Sir……sir, can I speak to you please?'

The man swung around to face Danny and Viv.

'You can let me into my shop!'

Before Danny could let loose the angry words that were bubbling up inside of him, Viv placed a hand on his arm and moved so she stood in front of him.

'I'm sorry sir; a federal agent has gone missing and we think she may have been abducted from outside this shop. Are you the owner?'

The man's face relaxed slightly and his eyes darted between Viv and Danny's faces.

'I am Sanjay Khan; I own this shop.'

Viv handed him a photo of Sam.

'Did you see this woman this morning Mr Khan?'

Sanjay Khan stared at it for a minute then looked up, a frown on his face,

'This is the lady that lives across the street….I see her most days. She is always very polite, very friendly'

'Did you see her this morning?'

Sanjay Khan nodded slowly,

'Yes….it would have been about 7:15am. She stopped to get a morning paper.'

'Did you see what happened to her after she left?'

Danny heard the hopeful note in Viv's voice as he held his breath, praying for something, anything, that would give them a clue about what had happened to Sam.

Sanjay Khan frowned then shook his head.

'I was too busy getting the lists together for the suppliers but you are welcome to look at the CCTV footage – it shows some of the street outside.'

Danny and Viv stared at each other for a moment before turning back to Sanjay Khan.

'What CCTV? We were told you don't have any cameras.'

Danny craned his neck trying to see inside the store.

Sanjay Khan smiled.

'You can't see them; they're well hidden. My brother-in-law is a surveillance expert and he put them in for me. Come through to the back.'

In the back of the shop Sanjay Khan opened up a laptop and pressed a few keys before standing back.

'This is when the lady came in………and this is her leaving……….'

Danny stared intently at the screen. The picture showed the front of the shop and the camera angle allowed them sight of the activity on the sidewalk. He watched Sam leave the shop, her handbag open as she placed her purse back inside it. She seemed to pause next to a dark blue 4x4 with blacked out windows as she fiddled with the fastening on her bag. Before she had managed to fasten the clasp she jerked her head up and swung around as if she looking for something. Danny watched intently as she reached for the rear passenger door and opened it. As she did a figure in a hooded top erupted into the shot and pushed Sam violently into the car, before climbing in after her. Another hooded figure appeared and climbed into the driver's seat and the car pulled away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**FBI Offices**

Back in the office Danny paced back and forth in the break room as he waited for tech to finish working on the CCTV footage. The image of Sam being pushed into the SUV kept running over and over in his mind while he tried to think of reasons why she would have opened that car door. The frustration of not being able to do anything was driving him crazy and he jumped when he heard the door open. He shot round to see a tense looking Martin come into the room.

'Viv says you have a tape showing her being pushed into a car?'

'Yeah, Mac and Lucy are working on it, trying to get some sort of a shot of a face or something that will let us know who did this to her ….'

He felt his control waver and heard the shake in his voice. He stopped and sucked in a long breath trying to stop the panic from overwhelming him. He became aware of the look Martin was giving him; the worry and fear on his face was joined with something else that Danny couldn't quite put his finger on…………..

Martin walked closer, staring at him intently,

'You look pretty shook up, you OK?'

Danny nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and turned to the coffee machine to make another mug of coffee that he would no doubt leave to go cold.

Martin came closer, reaching past Danny for a mug as he asked,

'Do they know why she got into the car?'

Danny poured the coffee into Martin's mug, watching with detached fascination as his hand shook and coffee spilled across the counter. He heard Martin curse and felt him grab the pot from his hand.

'Danny, get a cloth.'

The urgency in Martin's voice propelled him into action and he reached for the stack of paper towels kept on the counter and began to mop up the spilt coffee

'You OK?'

Danny turned to look at Martin, seeing concern, confusion and something else in his friend's eyes.

'Yeah, sorry……I just……..'

He trailed off helplessly, wanting to be able to explain to Martin why he was finding this so hard, but not sure how to tell his best friend that he was dating his ex-girlfriend

_Dating his ex-girlfriend? At least be honest with yourself Taylor……you're in love with his ex-girlfriend and you're terrified that you've lost her. _

Martin sighed.

'Would this be easier if I told you I know about you and Sam?'

* * *

**A/N** Sorry updates are taking so long - real life can be a pain in the 'you know where' sometimes! Thanks to **Ninz** and **SallyJetson** for their help and encouragement and thank you to everyone who has posted a review, they really do make a difference! Finally, thanks to those of you who are reading this story, even if you dont review - I hope you are enjoying it. I'll try not to take so long to get the next chapter up!


	9. Progress

**Progress**

**FBI Break Room**

The silence was deafening as Martin's words hung between them.

'_Would this be easier if I told you I know about you and Sam?'_

As his mind scrambled to process what he had just heard, Danny desperately tried to read the expression on Martin's face but couldn't. Eventually he managed to speak.

'You know?'

Martin sighed,

'Yes, I know………..you look like you're expecting me to be upset.'

The whole situation was feeling slightly surreal to Danny as he nodded slowly,

'Well I wasn't expecting you to be happy about it.'

Martin considered this for a moment.

'Because Sam and I dated?'

Danny stared at him; it wasn't as if he hadn't wondered how Martin would take the news but he hadn't imagined them having this discussion under these circumstances and he found he had no idea what to say.

When Danny didn't say anything Martin shrugged his shoulders.

'I don't have a problem with it Danny, to be honest I always wondered why the two of you had never hooked up…….if it makes you both happy then I think it's great.'

Danny realised he had been holding his breath. As he slowly exhaled he was suddenly aware that his legs were feeling very shaky; he sat down abruptly.

'Thanks……I mean……..'

Martin sat down next to him, pushing his coffee toward him as he gripped Danny's shoulder.

'We'll find her Danny.'

Danny winced slightly at the strength of Martin's grip. Wanting something to think about other than constantly replaying the scene of Sam being pushed into the SUV he decided to satisfy his curiosity.

'So, did Jack tell you?'

A wry smile crossed Martin's lips.

'Er, no, no Jack didn't tell me, but I take it he wasn't happy?'

Danny scowled,

'What the hell is his problem, he and Sam were over a long time ago but he was acting like they were married or something.'

Martin sat back in the chair and stared at the table for a moment before meeting Danny's eyes again.

'I don't know what it was between them but I know Sam was pretty messed up about it and I think Jack was too. They've both moved on but I guess it was the worry over what's happened plus the surprise of finding out about the two of you……..'

Martin's voice trailed off and he shrugged. Before Danny could think what to say Martin continued,

'As for how I knew…..well, the two of you were so wrapped up in each other on Saturday night a marching band could have come through Gino's and you wouldn't have noticed.'

_**Flashback – Saturday Evening – Gino's Pizzeria **_

_The line of people waiting for a table was growing and whilst Danny was all in favour of getting pizza to eat he had a few ideas about how he wanted to spend his time on a Saturday night and none involved waiting in a line for a table. _

'_Let's get take out then we can go back and watch a film……'_

_He slipped his arms around her waist, anchoring her back to his chest as he nuzzled her neck._

_She tilted her head back to allow him easier access as she scoffed,_

'_Watch a film? We tried to watch a film last night and I only got to see the opening credits………'._

'_I told you, it was a boring film……….'_

_A small moan escaped her throat and her voice was breathless as she replied,_

'_Oh yeah? Well, I didn't find it boring.'_

'_You just said you only saw the opening credits.'_

'_I wasn't talking about the film.'_

_He turned her around to face him, his lips hovering above hers as he murmured,_

'_Well in that case why don't we get take out and we can see if I can manage to last longer than the opening credits before I ravish you.' _

_She kissed him softly, her eyes holding a promise and he knew he wouldn't be able to last any longer than he had the night before……………_

_**End of Flashback**_

'You were in Gino's?'

Martin was grinning now and Danny found himself grinning back.

'Oh yes………you, er….obviously decided on take out?'

Danny raised an eyebrow deciding that Martin didn't expect him to answer that question as a thought occurred to him.

'So who were you with then?'

It was a stab in the dark but from the look on Martin's face he'd scored a bullseye. Danny leant forward.

'Come on Fitzy, spill.'

Martin shrugged, about to answer, as the door to the break room opened and Jack walked in. The grim expression on his face was enough to bring Danny crashing back to reality and he stood up.

'Have they found anything?'

Jack nodded.

'The two of you had better see this.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sam wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious but her head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton wool. She lay still, as she slowly took in her situation; a scarf or something similar was tied tightly around her eyes, her hands were tied behind her back and her ankles were secured as well.

From the motion and the engine sounds she guessed she was in a car. It didn't feel as if she was in the footwell so she guessed she was on the floor in the back. A blanket or something was lying over her and from the way the car was lurching from side to side they were off road. Sam listened hard but couldn't hear any sound from within the car and no traffic noise outside – she was sure now they were well outside the city.

She forced herself to think back to that morning. She remembered standing on the sidewalk next to the SUV, then finding herself on the floor with a gun against her head……….something being placed over her mouth and then waking up in the back of the SUV……………

Some other snippets of memory swirled through her mind…………a child, she had heard a child crying for help…………..and her bag…….her bag had been open and something had fallen from it when she had been pushed into the SUV…………..

The beginnings of panic had her stomach in knots and her throat feeling tight…..she forced herself to take slow even breaths and thought about the team. They would know she was missing….Danny would know she was missing. For a moment the thought of never seeing him again had the panic returning, but only for a moment………

_Pull yourself together….he'll be looking for you….they'll all be looking for you. They're good at their jobs but so are you and you are not sitting around on your ass waiting for them to come and find you. You can find a way out of this……if they were going to kill you they'd have done it already so the fact they haven't is good news…….. _

The car continued to bump slowly along a rough track. Sam settled herself as comfortably as she could knowing that until the car stopped and she knew who and what she was dealing with there was nothing else she could do. Not wanting the panic to return she forced herself to think about something else……..Danny…………she found herself smiling as she remembered Saturday night and yet another aborted attempt to watch a film………….

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**FBI Offices**

Danny and Martin followed Jack into the tech room to find Viv and Elena already there. Danny caught the look of sympathy that Elena threw him before his attention was caught by the pictures on the screen.

Mac hit a few buttons and a close up of the two figures appeared on the screen. Mac turned to face them.

'OK, using the footage from the minimart and other footage from the area we know the SUV pulled up outside the minimart about 30 seconds before Sam arrived to buy her newspaper. Two figures got out of the car – one from the driver's seat and one from the back nearside door - but we can't get a clear shot of their faces. They both headed into the bank lobby next door to the minimart at about the same time as Sam entered the shop. Sam was in the shop for less than a minute buying her paper; she came out, paused next to the SUV to close her bag and then she starts to open the SUV's rear door. They must have seen her open the car door and both rushed out again. They hadn't had time to use their bank card but…..'

Mac started pressing buttons,

'…….we do have a shot of the bank card – it's for Mellon Bank and we have a partial card number. I've contacted Mellon Bank and they are going to check all possible matches and should be back to us soon with the names. Also we have this……'

A picture of a hand holding the bank card appeared on the screen. Danny stared at it, uncertain why Mac thought it was significant.

'It's a woman.'

Viv sounded surprised as she lent forward and pointed to the wedding and engagement rings that could be clearly seen on the hand that held the card.

Mac pressed some more buttons and another picture appeared of the figure pushing Sam through the rear door of the SUV. Again he closed in on the hands……..

'They're both women.'

It was Jack's turn to sound surprised now.

Mac pulled up another picture.

'We used some footage from some other CCTV cameras and got a shot of the SUV. There are no licence tags but there is a dealer's sticker in the window and as it's the latest model Toyota Highlander it would suggest that it is a very recent purchase.'

A shot of the dealer's sticker appeared showing '_Manhattan Toyota_'

For a moment the room was silent whilst they all stared at the information on the screen then Jack began to issue orders.

'Viv, I want you and Elena to stay on this bank card, get a list of potential names and start narrowing it down.'

He turned to look at Martin.

'You and I are going to visit the dealer and find out who bought that SUV……'

He paused, then,

'…….Danny you come with us'

Danny heard the hesitation in Jack's voice as the room fell silent again; Viv nudged Elena gently and the two women headed out of the door. Mac obviously felt the tension in the air and with a muttered excuse he left too. Martin's gaze flicked back and forth between Jack and Danny as they stared at each other.

'I'll get the car ready – see you both in the parking lot.'

He left. At the sound of the door closing Jack broke the eye contact and sighed before looking back at Danny again.

'Before we go there's something I need to tell you.'


	10. Tempers Fray

**Authors Note:** I'll try not to make this too long, I promise. Firstly, the 'thank you's' to **Sally Jetson** for the beta and the encouragement and to **Ninz** for her wonderful comments! Wub you both!

Next, an apology/ explanation - some of you may have noticed that **Sins of the Fathers** was 'updated' - it wasn't! I corrected a mistake in chapter 2 that has been bugging me for ages and hit the wrong button, so instead of replacing the chapter content it replaced the chapter...sorry!

Finally, a **huge** thank you to everyone who has left reviews, they really do make a difference and I appreciate you taking the time to post them. To those of you reading but not reviewing, I hope you continue to enjoy the story and thank you for taking the time to read it.

**

* * *

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**Tempers Fray**

'Van Doren wants you off the case.'

The silence that followed was oppressive. Danny stared at Jack who in turn seemed to be focused on a point slightly to the right of Danny's left ear. He waited for Jack to tell him more but after a few moments he realised that nothing else was forthcoming.

'Why does she want me off the case, she doesn't know about Sam and I……..or does she?'

Jack shifted uncomfortably as he avoided Danny's eyes.

'Jack, does she know?'

He made no attempt to keep the anger from his voice. Jack glanced up and met his eyes,

'She knows…..I told her'

'Why?'

Jack hesitated again, then,

'Because I was angry and I didn't stop to think before I opened my mouth…..I'm sorry.'

'Well, if I'm off the case why are you taking me with you and Martin to see the dealership?'

'I persuaded her to let you stay on but you have to stay with one of the team at all times – no going off on your own.'

'I hope you don't expect me to say thank you?'

Jack flinched at the brutal tone in Danny's voice and spoke quickly.

'Look, I'm sorry about earlier….I didn't think you had anything to do with Sam going missing…..but I was worried about her and…………….well you're a bit of a player……………….'

His explanation came to a halt as he took in the fury on Danny's face.

'You have no idea what I am outside this office and you certainly don't know anything about my relationship with Sam……'

The anger, that Danny had fought so hard to control ever since he had found out about Sam, exploded.

'The last time I cheated on a woman I was at Law School and drunk, which is a fuck sight more than you can say you bastard………..don't you dare tell me that you're concerned about Sam and that's why you're doing this – you're jealous…..you hated seeing her with Martin and you hate that she's seeing me. Well, get used to it because this isn't going away………………'

He stopped, sucking in a deep breath as he tried to get himself back under control again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The car came to a halt and Sam offered up a silent prayer of thanks. Ordinarily she was a good traveller but being under a rug that smelt of mould plus the smell of food that was coming from somewhere in the car was making her feel very queasy. She heard voices, but they spoke too quietly for her to hear what they were saying, and then the opening and closing of at least two doors.

The crunching sounds of people approaching the back of the car told her they were off road somewhere, and then the rear door opened. Sam tensed as a wave of nausea flooded her…...

'I'm going to be sick.'

A muttered curse and then two pairs of hands grabbed her, pulled her out of the back of the SUV and held her as she bent over. She was vaguely aware that someone was holding her hair back as she threw up the remains of her breakfast. Once she had stopped throwing up she was more able to take in what was going on around her……..they were definitely out of the city…………and at least one of her captors was a woman.

'I'm going to sit you down….there's a tree stump……here……be careful.'

A woman's voice, no older than Sam and sounding nervous………….Sam let herself be lowered so she was sitting on the tree stump. She drew in lungful's of clean, fresh air, all the while listening to what was going on around her. She listened to the sound of footsteps walking away, pausing and then walking back to her.

'Here, have a drink of water'

A different voice this time, also female, but she sounded older and calmer than the other woman. She felt the rim of a bottle held to her lips. She tipped her head back and drank slowly, enjoying the feel of the cool water running down her dry throat.

The woman didn't try to take the water away from her, letting Sam drink until she'd had enough. The water and the fresh air was helping quieten her stomach and she decided that now was as good a time as any to try and find out why this was happening.

'I don't understand why you've taken me.'

She tried to keep her voice steady. She wasn't expecting an answer but she knew she had to try and get some sort of dialogue started with them.

'Hmm…..I'm a bit unsure on that one too.'

The second woman spoke again. Her tone was dry and Sam sensed the comment wasn't addressed to her. She felt vindicated a moment later when the first woman spoke again

'I'm sorry….I panicked…….I was just so scared that….that…..'

She sounded close to tears as she continued

'…….I'm sorry Samantha, I really am but we won't hurt you we just have to get far enough away before we let you go……'

'Mommy I'm hungry.'

Sam tensed at the sound of the child's voice. She was finding that her other senses were compensating for being blindfolded. From the sound of the voice she guessed that the child was very young, no more than six years old, and female. The woman, who was speaking to Sam, immediately broke off and Sam sensed her moving away in the direction of the child's voice.

'OK honey lets have a look in the cooler and you can see what you'd like to eat.'

Sam was silent for a moment before addressing the second woman again.

'You know my name. I take it you've looked through my bag?' _and if so why aren't you worried about the fact that I'm a fed?_

She felt the woman sit down next to her on the tree stump

'Yeah, quite interesting…….see you carry a gun.'

She sounded suspicious. Sam's mind raced…they had found her gun but they hadn't said anything about her being a federal agent. She remembered the sound of things dropping out of her bag as she was pushed into the car. She decided to take a chance that her badge was amongst those items.

'Yeah….I, er….I was stalked by an ex boyfriend. A friend of mine got me the gun and taught me how to use it.'

'Really……you carry a Glock 22; you know that the FBI carry those.'

The suspicion in her voice was more evident now and Sam registered that she must know something about guns to know the make and that it was the gun carried by the FBI. She answered cautiously.

'Well the friend who got me the gun and taught me to shoot it is an FBI Agent. He reckoned that if I was going to carry a gun it might as well be one that would do some damage if I ever had to use it.'

Sam held her breath waiting for a response.

'Hmm…….have you ever had to use it?'

The woman's voice was less suspicious now.

'No, thank god. I waved it in the ex boyfriend's face once and he nearly pee'd in his pants.'

The woman laughed then sighed.

'Look I'm sorry that you've ended up in this mess. We won't hurt you but I can't let you go yet, we need to get a lot further away first.'

Sam took another deep breath.

'What exactly is _this mess_?'

She knew, as soon as she asked that she had made a mistake. The woman tensed next to her and then stood up as she spoke again, her voice cold and suspicious once again.

'You know, you seem way too calm to me. You're asking questions, you carry a gun……. and why _did_ you open the car door? What are you, a cop?'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny sat in the back of the car as Martin drove them to the dealership, still surprised that Jack hadn't stopped him from coming. After he had thrown that last accusation at Jack he had been sure he was about to get sent home, instead, although Jack's face had darkened, he had said nothing, just walked out of the tech room and headed to the parking lot. Danny had followed him and climbed into the car without Jack saying a word or even looking at him.

'Here we are.'

Martin sounded relieved, presumably because he could get out of the car and away from the oppressive atmosphere that hung between Jack and Danny.

Jack spoke to Martin without looking at Danny.

'The two of you wait here while I go and speak to the manager. While you're waiting, speak to Viv and Elena and see what they've managed to come up with so far.'

He left the car and headed into the office without a backward glance.

Martin turned to look at Danny.

'OK, what the hell happened after I left the two of you in the tech room?'

Danny slumped down in the seat and scowled.

'Van Doren wants me off the case because she knows about Sam and I….she knows because Jack told her.'

Martin whistled through his teeth.

'OK, that's gotta piss you off, but see it from his point of view, he'd have his ass handed to him if she had found out later that he had known and not said anything to her.'

Danny shook his head.

'He admitted he told her because he was pissed off….because he thinks I'm a player and not good enough for Sam.'

Martin nodded thoughtfully and Danny felt the anger inside him erupt yet again.

'And let me guess, you think the same don't you?'

The anger that swept across Martin's face shocked him, but no where near as much as Martin getting out of the car, wrenching open the door, pulling him out of the car and slamming him up against it's side.

'You're not the only one that's worried about Sam…….we might not be together any more but I still love her as a friend and I'm worried sick about her….and however much of an asshole Jack's being, he cares and he's scared shitless like the rest of us, so for the love of god, stop with the self pity.'

Blind rage consumed Danny as he pushed Martin away and threw a punch…..a punch that Martin obviously expected because Danny's fist sliced through empty space. Martin didn't wait for Danny to correct his aim; instead he flung himself on him again.

'Are you trying to get yourself thrown off this investigation?'

He hissed the words, his face contorted in rage, as Danny struggled to free his hands…….

The ringing of a cell phone made them both pause. Martin stepped back, breathing hard, still looking angry, as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He didn't take his eyes off Danny.

'Fitzgerald……..hey Viv…………that's great. As soon as Jack has the names from the dealership I'll get them through to you for cross-matching…….no, nothing's wrong…..bye.'

As he put his phone back into his pocket the anger drained from his face and he ran his hands through his hair as he stared at Danny.

'Look man, I'm sorry, I know this is tough, I've been there, but we're all feeling it, we all want her back.'

For a moment Danny stood, his fists still clenched, wanting nothing more than to punch something or someone, but the worry he could see on Martin's face along with his words slowly seeped into his consciousness and he forced himself to relax his hands.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

'I'm sorry……..I just……'

Martin closed the gap between them.

'I know….let's just focus on finding her…..you can worry about how to deal with Jack once she's back.'

Danny nodded as he forced himself to think like an FBI Agent and not like a love sick teenager.

'What did Viv have?'

His voice sounded unnatural to his ears and he saw Martin send him a sharp, concerned look before he answered.

'The Bank has come back to us with a list of names. We just need the list of potential owners and then we can cross reference the two and see if we have a hit.'

Danny nodded but before he could answer his cell phone started to ring. He fished it out of his pocket, glancing quickly at the number showing on the caller id – it wasn't one he recognised. He hit the call answer button

'Taylor'

'Hello, is this Mr Taylor?'

Danny froze, staring dumbstruck at Martin as he realised who was calling him…….……


	11. The Calm before the Storm

**Authors Note:** Many, many apologies for taking so long to update this story. Terrible combination of writers block and a new job that has taken most of my writing time away from me. I wrote this chapter very quickly and **SallyJetson** had a quick look over it for me (wub) but all mistakes are mine!!!.

Let me know what you think!

* * *

**The Calm before the Storm**

'_What are you, a cop?'_

Sam would swear later that her heart had stopped for a moment. She tried to speak calmly but couldn't stop the slight tremor in her voice.

'N..n..no.'

She sat frozen on the tree stump as she heard the unmistakable sound of the ammunition clip from her gun being ejected and then inserted again.

'Well you seem far too calm to me.'

The woman's voice was loaded with suspicion. Sam desperately tried to think of something to say to allay her distrust, but couldn't. The woman rose and began pacing back and forth.

'Why did you open the car door?'

'I heard a child crying for help.'

The pacing stopped. Sam could feel a slight breeze on her face and hear the gentle rustle of the nearby trees. In the distance she could hear the low murmur of a child's voice coming from the car. She waited.

'Why would that make you open a car door? It could have been the radio, it could have been anything. Why open a car door?'

_Sam cursed as she tried to juggle her paper and her take out coffee_ _whilst trying to get her purse back into her handbag._

'_Clever; should have done this in the shop. Always in too much of a hurry aren't you Sam' she muttered under her breath._

_She stopped next to a dark blue Toyota, tucked the paper under her arm and managed to slide her purse into her bag underneath her badge and phone. Before she could close the bag she heard a child's cry from inside the dark blue Highlander and paused. There was something about it that sounded wrong, as if the child was terrified of something. As she listened the cry grew louder, the fear obvious now._

_She waited, expecting to hear someone start to comfort the child but instead the crying intensified. Instinct took over as she reached for the door, surprised when it opened. The car was empty except for a child, curled up on the seat, crying hysterically. Sam leant forward_

'_Hey sweetheart, where's……….'_

_Hands shoved her hard from behind, propelling her into the car. Her head crashed into the centre consol, stunning her for a moment before something covered her mouth……._

'She sounded distressed. I was worried so I opened the car door. To be honest I didn't really think about it, I just did it'………. _and I'm going to get hell from the team when I admit that to them._

She could hear childish giggles in the distance and the slam of the car door. The sun was high in the sky so, she guessed, it must be late in the morning now. A small part of her brain was busy trying to calculate how far away they must be from the city. It was obvious they were in the country – she couldn't hear another vehicle or any planes………

The woman sat down next to her again but still didn't say anything. Sam could feel the distrust coming from her in waves. A tentative idea formed. She took a deep breath.

'Look, my boss will be back to the office soon and if I'm not there he's going to be worried. Can I call him and let him know I won't be in?'

xxxxxxxxxxx

Viv stared unseeingly at the computer screen in the tech room, her cell phone clutched in her hand as she waited for Jack's call.

Elena sank into the seat next to her holding a long list of names that the bank had sent through as possible matches for the partial card number they had from the CCTV footage at the bank.

'Did you know?'

Viv turned her head slowly; Elena was studying the list a little too closely, her voice a little too careful, as she asked the question.

'No, you?'

Elena looked up quickly. Their eyes met briefly before Elena dropped her head again as she shook her head.

'No, I had no idea.'

Viv watched her as she continued to stare intently at the list; Elena's reaction had momentarily taken her mind off her fears for Sam. Before she could say anything the door opened and Van Doren walked in.

'Agent Johnson, have we heard from Agent Malone yet?'

Viv and Elena exchanged a brief look as they registered some indefinable emotion on Van Doren's face. Viv stood up. 'No ma'am we haven't heard anything yet. I spoke to Agent Fitzgerald a few moments ago and they have arrived at the car dealership so I'm expecting to hear from Agent Malone any minute.'

Van Doren was staring at the blank computer screen; Viv waited for her to speak as Elena stood up, catching Viv's eye, a question in hers. Viv shrugged; she had no idea why Van Doren seemed _so_ bothered.

'Ma'am?'

Van Doren tore her eyes away from the screen and looked quickly between Viv and Elena before taking a deep breath.

'I have some news.'

xxxxxxxxxxx

'_Hello, is this Mr Taylor?'_

Danny froze, staring dumbstruck at Martin as he realised who was calling him.

'_Mr Taylor?'_

He sucked in a deep breath as his mind suddenly clicked into gear. He forced himself to speak calmly.

'Yes, is this Samantha?'

Martin's face was almost comical as he realised who was on the phone. He hit the speed dial on his phone and began a hushed conversation with someone.

'_Yes sir it is. I'm very sorry but I won't be in work today.'_

Over Martin's shoulder Danny could see Jack emerge from the dealership, his phone clamped to his ear. He appeared to be talking angrily to someone.

'Really? Why is that?'

He listened hard, but couldn't hear much of anything in the background.

'_My mother has been rushed into hospital. I only found out this morning and I left in such a hurry I forgot to call you. This is the first chance I've had to stop so I thought I had better call you now and let you know I wouldn't be in, but also about the Hansen file.'_

She sounded calm, but he could hear a tremor in her voice. His heart constricted and a desperate need to hold swept over him. He gritted his teeth.

'Ah yes, I was wondering where that file had got to.'

He wanted to tell her it was OK, that they would find her, that he loved her, but he knew that whoever had her would be listening.

'_I gave it to Jack. He'll know what to do with it.'_

He froze as she said Jack's name, and looked again to where he could see Jack approaching, phone still clamped to his ear, a furious look on his face.

'Right, ok, well I'll speak to Jack. Any idea when you'll be back, the office isn't the same without you.'

He couldn't help it; he hoped she understood. He heard her draw in a shaky breath and knew that she had.

'_I…I don't know, but I hope it won't be too long…..I….I have to go now…..I'm sorry……'_

The phone went dead. Danny's legs almost went from under him and he leaned weakly against the car.

Martin flipped his phone shut.

'They've got a trace on the call. Bounced off a tower upstate, a couple of hundred miles from here' He looked more closely at Danny, 'hey, you OK?'

Danny nodded weakly as Jack arrived, his face thunderous.

'That was Van Doren; we've got a problem.'


	12. The Storm

**Chapter 12 - The Storm**

'We've been ordered onto another case.'

Jack spat the words out as if they were poison in his mouth.

'We've WHAT?'

Danny turned to look at Martin, a small part of his mind registering that this was possibly the most angry he had ever seen him.

'What the hell are you talking about? Who's ordered us off the case?'

Even Jack looked taken aback at the rage on Martin's face. He glanced uncertainly at Danny before looking back at Martin again.

'Congressman Ford's daughter has been kidnapped. We've been ordered onto the case by your father - '

Jack's explanation came to an abrupt halt as Martin turned angrily and marched away, his phone clamped to his ear. Jack turned to Danny.

'Has something happened?'

It was the first time that day he had spoken normally to Danny but Danny was feeling too overwhelmed by the phone call from Sam and now this latest development to even register the fact. He stared blankly at Jack for a moment before managing to speak.

'Sam's just rung me.'

'WHAT?'

Jack's jaw dropped at what he was hearing but before Danny could reply or Jack could ask anything more Martin's raised voice grabbed their attention.

'I don't care who's child has been kidnapped; you've got hundreds of teams you could put on it, and all of them would be thrilled at the chance of such a high profile case. Sam is missing and I'm staying on this whether you like it or not…..'

There was a pause while presumably Victor spoke again. Danny and Jack exchanged glances; whatever he was saying to Martin didn't appear to be helping matters much. Martin's face was getting red and he was obviously struggling not to interrupt; a struggle he clearly lost, as he started shouting into the phone.

'You self serving, publicity hungry bastard. You just want your son to be involved in finding Paul Ford's daughter don't you? What is it, some sick sort of succession planning? Well I won't, and if I have to, I'll resign and make sure that the press find's out why.'

Danny and Jack's eyes met again. Danny could see the shock he was feeling mirrored on Jack's face. Martin was pacing as he listened to his father again. He stopped suddenly, his jaw noticeably tightening, then wheeled around and headed to where Jack and Danny stood watching him. He held the phone out to Jack who took it.

'Malone'

Jack's face relaxed slightly, then darkened again.

'Look Martin's right; we could put another team - '

He stopped again and scowled as he listened to Victor for a moment, then;

'Yes _sir_, I'll get right on that.'

The sarcasm and anger dripped from his voice as he shut the phone off. For a moment he stared at the ground then looked back up at Martin, a determined look in his eyes.

'Right; your father has told me that 'the majority of the team' has to focus on the kidnapping. There are five of us; to my mind that's three of us on the kidnapping and two of us looking for Sam.'

Danny held his breath, his insides twisting in a vice-like grip as he waited. Finally Jack met his eyes;

'Martin, you and Danny keep looking for Sam…….'

Before Jack could finish Martin had swung to face Danny;

'So what did she say?'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Viv put the phone down and turned to Elena; 'OK, I think we need to establish what we have here so that when Jack comes back down from the ceiling we can update him.'

The look on Elena's face told Viv she was every bit as unhappy as she was with the situation but she didn't complain, instead she flipped open her note book.

'Charlotte Ford, aged 6. Just after 7:00 this morning her Nanny, Ruth Barnes, was in the process of getting her ready for school when she heard a noise. She turned around to see two masked figures behind her and that's the last she remembers until she woke up. It looks as if she was chloroformed.'

'Did she recognise them?'

Elena shook her head; 'No, but she was very distressed when she was found. The hospital has checked her out and released her. We have an agent bringing her here so we can talk to her.'

Viv nodded thoughtfully. 'Well she might remember a bit more once she has calmed down. Congressman Ford is on his way back to New York with Director Fitzgerald and they should be here anytime in the next 30 minutes.'

'Do we know if this is politically or personally motivated?'

Viv shrugged as she rifled through a file of information; 'No idea at the moment. All I have is some background.' She pulled out a sheet of paper as she continued;

'Congressman Paul Ford. Aged 42. Rising star of the Republican party. Tipped to run for President at some point. He married Caroline Gerald 7 years ago; raised a lot of eyebrows because she was only 21 at the time. They had their daughter the following year. No political or personal scandal. He is perceived as a straight talking, family man.'

'So where was Mrs. Ford whilst all of this was happening?'

'Presumably with her husband in Washington - '

Viv stopped as the door opened and an agent poked his head around it; 'Agent Johnson, Ruth Barnes is in interview room 3.'

Elena stood up, gathering her notes and papers together. 'Well, maybe the Nanny can tell us that as well.'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'_Any idea when you'll be back, the office isn't the same without you._'

He'd done a good job of keeping his voice steady but she'd heard the message in it. She'd made a close study of Danny Taylor these last two weeks, amazing herself at all the things she had learned about him that she had never known before. I mean, who would have thought he could cook?

She blinked furiously in an attempt to stop the tears from falling as she shifted, trying to get comfortable in the back of the Highlander. The blanket had been thrown over her and the musty smell and the movement of car over the rough ground were making her feel nauseous again. In an effort to control her stomach she allowed her mind to drift back and remember………….

_The digits, illuminated on the bedside clock, told her it was 3:07am. His arm was draped over her and she could feel his breath in her hair as she lay with her back to his chest. She lay still, not wanting to wake him, as her mind replayed the events of the previous day; the kiss outside the bar; the kiss outside the restaurant; their lovemaking…..._

_Her stomach liquefied at the memory and heat pulsed through her. She moved slightly, pressing her hips back and feeling his response. His arm tightened around her and his breathing changed. He moved and she gasped as his mouth assaulted the sensitive skin where her neck and shoulder met. She wriggled around so that she was facing him; in the glow cast by the street lights she could see no hint of sleepiness in his face, only a desire for her that took her breath away. _

The memory of that night, and all the other nights since, left her feeling elated and terrified in equal measure. She had always been so scared of falling in love, unsure that she could ever accept the consequences of loving someone and not have them love her in equal measure, but with Danny it had happened so quickly there had been no time to be scared. The certainty that he loved her as completely as she loved him left her feeling safer than she could ever remember feeling, yet at the same time, a sense of terror gripped her at the thought of never seeing him again.

'I will get through this Danny. I promise you I'll get through this. I love you…'

Her whispered words ended as the tears began to slide silently down her face. All she could hope was that he had told Jack about her reference to the Henderson file in their conversation. It was the only help she could give them in finding her.


	13. Playing the Game

**Authors Note: **Huge thank you to **SallyJetson** for the beta and thanks to everyone who has reviewed.

* * *

**Chapter 13 – Playing the Game**

**Toyota Dealership, Manhattan**

'_So what did she say?'_

Martin was staring intently at Danny as he waited for him to tell them about the phone call. Jack's stomach twisted as he waited for Danny to reply.

But Danny didn't answer Martin; instead he turned to face Jack, a half wary, half angry expression on his face. After the way he had behaved towards him earlier, Jack couldn't blame Danny for looking at him the way he was.

'She managed to give me a message; said I should speak to you about the Henderson file.'

Despite his obvious reluctance to speak to him, Jack heard the hopeful note creep into Danny's voice. More than that; both he and Martin had a faint glimmer of hope in their eyes as they waited to hear the meaning in Sam's message.

Jack frowned, dropping his eyes to the ground for a moment, desperately dredging his memory for what Sam could possibly have meant.

Nothing.

He couldn't even remember a case of Henderson. He took a deep breath before raising his eyes again, knowing he was about to extinguish the hope blossoming within Danny and Martin.

'Jack?'

Martin sounded wary;

'I'm sorry, but I honestly don't know what she's referring to.'

He hadn't wanted to look, but couldn't help himself, and the despair he saw in Danny's eyes told him more eloquently than words ever could how much he loved Sam. Impulse made him reach out and rest his hand briefly on the younger man's shoulder;

'We'll find her Danny. She said what she said for a reason; we'll figure it out; we'll bring her home, I promise.'

For a long moment they stared at each other and Jack watched the distrust gradually fading from Danny's eyes, replaced with some darker emotion Jack couldn't put a name too. Then he nodded briefly before turning without a word and heading back to the car. Jack and Martin stood in silence, watching him as he lent against the car, his head turned away from them. Jack guessed he need a few moments to himself.

'He's pretty close to the edge you know.'

Martin's words cut through Jack's thoughts; he continued to watch the back of Danny's head as he replied.

'We're all pretty close to the edge on this one. Can you manage him do you think, or do you need me to keep him in the office?'

Martin snorted;

'Jack, nothing, not you, not me, not even my father, is going to keep him in the office if he thinks he should be somewhere else. But I'll make sure I stay with him, and if he's going to do anything stupid I'll do my best to stop him. More than that I can't promise you'

Jack nodded, and cursed Victor Fitzgerald for the 100th time in the last few minutes for forcing him off the case.

'Your father is a class A jerk; you know that, right?'

Martin nodded grimly. 'Worse than that; he's a class A jerk with power. Be careful Jack; he and Paul Ford are close and he'll give you hell for not making me work the kidnapping.'

Jack shrugged and they started towards the car and Danny.

'It's not the first time I've pissed your father off and it won't be the last.'

Martin shook his head. 'Just be careful. Paul Ford is Dad's godson, its old money, old school ties, and that matters as much as family in their world, more so sometimes.'

He opened the car, meeting Jack's eyes again, his deadly serious

'I know Paul Ford. He might have an image as a wholesome family man but in reality he's a nasty piece of work and as ruthless as they come. Don't take anything he says at face value; I've never heard him tell the truth in all the years I've known him.'

Jack climbed into the car as he mulled over Martin's words. The whole thing was leaving a nasty taste in his mouth.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**FBI Offices, Manhattan**

'Ms Barnes, I need you to tell me in your own words exactly what happened this morning.'

Viv watched the woman sitting across the table from her carefully. She had obtained some information about her and knew that she was 39 and a well qualified Nanny. She was British, but had a green card and had been working in the US for 5 years now. She had begun working for Congressman Ford just over a year ago; previously to that she had been working for another Congressman.

She waited for an answer but Ruth Barnes didn't speak; instead she looked back and forth between Viv and Elena.

'Ms Barnes,' Elena spoke with just a hint of exasperation in her voice, 'we have a six year old child who has been kidnapped and may be in danger. You need to tell us what you know.'

A flicker of some emotion crossed Ruth Barnes face at the word 'danger', and Viv lent forward, suddenly convinced there was something she knew but wasn't telling them.

'Ruth, you need to tell us what you know. If you don't you are impeding a federal investigation and that's serious jail time.'

Ruth Barnes looked unimpressed at the threat levelled against her; instead she took a sip of her water before she spoke in a calm voice;

'I was getting Charlotte ready for school. We were in her bedroom, about to get her dressed, when two masked figures entered the room. One of them pointed a gun at me, the other went to Charlotte and picked her up and carried her out of the room. The figure holding the gun had a cloth in their other hand. They gestured for me to sit on the bed. I sat on the bed. They approached and placed the cloth over my face and that was the last thing I knew before I woke up over an hour later. As soon as I could move I dialled 911.'

Viv glanced at Elena who looked as taken aback as she was feeling. The calmness of the English woman was disconcerting.

'You don't look overly concerned Ms Barnes'

Elena was staring at Ruth Barnes intently as she threw this accusation at her. A brief flicker of irritation crossed the Nanny's face and this time she spoke with out requiring a further prompt.

'Agent Delgado, I've looked after Charlotte for over a year now. I've nursed her through chicken pox; I've taught her to swim and to ride a bike. I'm the last person to kiss her goodnight before she goes to sleep and the first person to kiss her good morning when she wakes up. Your implication that I am not showing enough concern about Charlotte is as insulting as it is wrong. Just because I don't show every emotion, just because I'm not falling apart, does not mean that I don't love her deeply and want her to be safe and well.'

Viv and Elena's eyes met mirroring each other's thoughts. Calm the speech may have been, but for the first time Viv could see the emotion bubbling away underneath the calm surface.

'So where has Charlotte's mother been through all of this if you have been such a major factor in her life?' Elena sounded sceptical.

Ruth Barnes's face froze back into the calm mask she had been wearing before her last speech.

'You'll have to ask Congressman Ford about that.'

Viv stared at her in disbelief.

'Ms Barnes, you need to start co-operating with us. So far you haven't been particularly helpful. Now please answer the question that Agent Delgado asked you.'

Ruth Barnes met Viv's angry stare with calm, pale green eyes; 'I signed a confidentiality agreement when I started to work for Congressman Ford. One of the subjects I am forbidden to discuss with anyone is Mrs Ford.'

Elena and Viv exchanged looks of total disbelief. Elena's jaw tightened.

'Well, perhaps you can tell us when you last saw her then?'

Ruth Barnes looked thoughtful and then shrugged; 'No, I can't. I'm very sorry. Congressman Ford instructed me that if any of the subjects covered by the agreement came up with any government agency or the police I should tell you to contact Jonathan Keppler, Congressman Ford's lawyer, and that he would be able to assist me in what I can and cannot answer.'

Elena raised an eyebrow at Viv who nodded. She then rose and left the room. Viv sat back in her seat looking at the woman in front of her;

'Well if you can't answer questions about Mrs Ford perhaps you can answer some questions about what happened earlier?' For the life of her she couldn't keep the sarcasm and the frustration from her voice.

Ruth Barnes met her gaze calmly and nodded her head briefly. Viv gritted her teeth.

'OK, well, when the masked figure picked Charlotte up and carried her out of the room, did she cry out?'

Ruth Barnes shook her head,

'I'm sorry Agent Johnson. Everything happened very quickly, but I don't remember Charlotte crying out.'

Viv frowned; 'That seems strange to me. She's six years old and a masked figure appeared in her bedroom, picked her up and carried her out. If that had been my son he would have yelled the place down, but you say Charlotte didn't say a word or cry out.'

'I said I don't remember her crying out. It doesn't mean she didn't. I was unconscious less than a minute after they entered. Charlotte is a timid child; it's possible that the shock stopped her crying out immediately. For all I know they used chloroform on her too.'

Viv sat back, staring at Ruth Barnes. What she said made perfect sense but Viv still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew more than she was saying, and she was too calm.

'Did you recognise the abductors?'

'They wore ski masks and sun glasses, so no, I didn't recognise them.'

'Well what can you tell me about them? Were they heavy set or slim built? Were they tall or short? Black, white or Hispanic? Come on Ms Barnes, you must remember something that can help us.'

Ruth Barnes looked thoughtful and then shook her head again; 'I would say they were medium build, medium height and with their ski masks and glasses I couldn't see any skin to tell you what colour it was.'

Again, her calmness was sending warning bells through Viv. Before she could ask any more questions Elena entered the room again, closely followed by a middle aged, well groomed man.

'This is Jonathan Keppler. He's here to see Ms Barnes.'

Elena didn't sound happy about it. Viv stood up.

'Well Ms Barnes I'll leave you with Mr Keppler; maybe he can persuade you to be a little more co-operative.'

She noted with interest that for the first time Ruth Barnes looked nervous.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The car stopped. Moments later the back was opened and the cover was pulled off her and a hand gripped her arm.

'Get out'

It was the older woman's voice.

Sam struggled out of the car; her limbs were cramped from lying awkwardly for so long and any movement was accompanied by pain shooting through her joints. A door slammed and then she could hear the child speaking.

'Mommy, why has that lady got something over her eyes?'

'It's all part of the game darling. Do you remember what I told you?'

Sam knew that the younger woman was the child's mother but she still couldn't understand who the older woman was; she certainly didn't sound old enough to be the child's grandmother. In fact Sam was certain the two women weren't related; the younger woman had an upper class East Coast accent which suggested that she came from money; certainly that she had been educated privately. The older woman spoke with a Brooklyn accent.

'Is the lady playing the game too, Mommy?'

'Yes darling she is. Come on, let's go inside and get some food for you. You must be hungry.'

She listened to their footsteps briefly crunch across some gravel and then head up some steps, followed by a door opening and then closing. Sam waited, wondering what was going to happen next.

'Are you hungry?'

She bit back the sarcastic answer that sprang to her lips and contented herself with nodding her head. The woman took hold of her arm.

'This way. Be careful, the ground's very uneven.'

She led Sam along a path before halting;

'There are three steps up to the door. Wait here whilst I open it.'

Sam heard her walk up some steps, open a door and then return to her again, taking her arm and guiding her into a building. The sound of her footsteps on the creaking floorboards echoed, and the air smelt musty. Sam shivered; it was cold in the house and she couldn't throw off the feeling that something sad had happened here. She shook her head slightly, trying to dislodge the morbid thoughts suddenly threatening to overwhelm her.

They walked a short way before the woman stopped and Sam heard her open a door and then she was guided through.

'I'm going to untie your hands. Don't try anything; I have a gun with me and you do anything stupid and I'll use it. You understand?'

'Yes'

Sam tensed as her hands were untied and then gasped at the sudden pain as the blood began to circulate freely. She winced again at the pain that shot through her shoulders as she moved her hands from behind her back to in front of her, and began massaging her wrists.

The woman was behind her; the sound of her footsteps told Sam that she was retreating back out of the room.

'When I close the door you can take your blindfold off. Feel free to try and escape if you want to. We're 30 miles from the nearest phone and gas station and 60 miles from the nearest town. The nearest road that has any sort of regular traffic is 20 miles away.'

She paused but Sam didn't say anything. She didn't doubt the truth of what she was hearing; she hadn't heard another vehicle in over an hour and for more than an hour before that she had only heard other vehicles intermittently. She waited for the door to close so she could take the blindfold off but the woman didn't move.

Sam turned her head toward the woman.

'Why are you doing whatever it is you are doing?'

The woman was silent for a moment and Sam thought she wasn't going to answer. When she spoke she sounded tired.

'Do you have any children?'

Sam shook her head; 'No I don't.'

'Then I doubt I can explain it to you. I'll get you some food. Make yourself comfortable.'

The door closed and Sam was alone in the room. She slowly raised her aching arms and removed the scarf tied around her eyes.

She looked around, blinking slightly as her eyes adjusted to the light. She was in a large room; a queen sized bed was in the corner and a table and chair was under the window. She turned her head and saw a fireplace with a large comfortable looking armchair in front of it. The blinds were down but enough light was apparent for her to guess it was late afternoon. A door was next to the bed. She walked over and tried it; it opened to show a bathroom.

She walked to the window and opened the blinds. The metal bars on the window looked strong; past them, all she could see was grass and trees.

She stared around the room as she formulated and discarded several escape plans. Despite the woman having a gun she didn't feel as if she was about to use it on her…..and there was the child. Her best guess was that they had taken the child for some reason……….

She shivered again; the sadness of the house was oppressive. She couldn't hear any other sounds anywhere within it and wondered where the younger woman and the child where. She paced as she tried to decide on her next move, her eyes sweeping about the room until they alighted on the rug on the wooden floor. It was slightly out of alignment and Sam could see a stain on the floor beneath it. Squatting down she lifted the corner of the rug.

Blood.

It was an old stain but she had seen enough blood to know what she was looking at. She pulled the rug back completely.

There was a lot of blood.

Someone had died violently in this room.


End file.
